Beet-topping mechanism.



H. I'. BARBER. BEEI TOPPING MEGHANISM. APPLIUATIUN FILED AUG. 5, 190s. RBNBWED JULY 1, 1910.

985,754. Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

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BEET TOPPING MBGHANISM. e APPLIGATIDN FILED AUG. 5, 1909. RENBWED JULY 1, 1910` Petented Feb.2s,1911.

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BEET-TOPPING MECHANISM.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. BARBER, 0F EDISON, NEBRASKA.

Specification of Letters' Patent.

Application led August 5,. 1909, Serial No. 511,330. Renewed July 1, 1910. Serial No. 570,011.

cation.

This invention relates .to beet harvesting machinery and has for its object to provide a mechanism arranged to automatically top beets when delivered thereto.

Another object is provide a structure of relatively simple arrangement which will not belikelyto, become' deranged and in which lreplacements may be easily andl quickly made when necessary.

.Other objects and advantages will be apparent `from the following description and it will be understood that changes in the specilic structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims with` out departing from the spirit of the inven tion.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification and in which like numerals' of reference'indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the complete mechanism, Fig. 2 is a top plan showin the -mechanism a plied to aportion of the beet harvester,

arm, Fig. 4 is a view lookin@ atthe inner s owing a beet looking at the mechamsmfrom 'one end.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a portion of a beet harvester A, includinv a rear end member 10, and a pair of vertically disposed horizontally extending ad horizontally spaced conveyer members B and C. Between these conveyer members there is located a bottom supporting member D and a top spring pressed member E arranged to engage beets passing between the conveyers. The bottom supporting member terminates short of the rearward end of the conveyers,` and disposed opposite to the end of this supporting member there is an u wardly directed knife 59. Laterally of this knife there is an upright'O, anddisposed rearwardly of the upright in parallelrelation there is a second upright 61. A trans-` verse shaft' 61 is journaled in the two uprights, and carries a pair' of knocking arms G2 and (33,..the former being located for- 1g.'3 is a transverse section taken ln'the plane of the rack.

wardly of the upright 60 and the latter rearwardl thereof and between the upright 60 and t e upright 61. The arm 62 thusl revolves in a plane forwardly of the knife 59 while the arm 63 revolves in a pla-ne rearwardly of the knife, the ends of the arms passing over the sides of the knife when the shaft 61 is revolved. A mutilated gear 64 is carried by the rearward end of the shaft 61', the mutilations of the gear being located directly opposite to each other, as shown. at 65, and this gear meshes with the pinion 66 carried by ashaft 67 journaled horizontally in the upright 61 and carrying a. Sprocket wheel 68 inwardly of the upright. A chain 69 is engaged with the sprocket and is connected with a traction wheel. 20 of the machine. 4

An u right 79 is located rearwardly of the kni e 59 and in spaced relation thereto, and engaged in this upright there is a horizontally extending sliding shaft 80, carrying avertically disposed plate 81 in its inner end which vis located opposite to the space between the conveyer members and is arranged to receive thereagainst the tops of beets which pass between the conveyer-s. The .arrangement is thus such that engagement 0f the plate by the beet top causes the plate to move outwardly, carrying the shaft therewith. The plate is held normally against' outward movement by means of a spring 8,2 engaged between the rearward face of the upright 79 and a bracket 79 which is connected with the upright, and through which the shaft 80 extends. A second bracket 83 is carried by the upright 79 extending rearwardly therefrom parallel to the shaft S0, and has a pinion 84 mounted therein, this pinion being carried by a shaft 85 which extends transversely of the m'achine and laterally of the movement of the shaft 80. A rack 86 is carried by a stem slidably engaged through the upright 79, and connected with the plate 81, and this rack meshes with the pinion 81 for .rotation of the latter when the plate is moved by a beet. A rearwardly extending nor- Vmally horizontal arm 87 is carried by the 'shaft 85 and extends normally above an arm 88 secured to the shaft 61. A finger `89 is secured to the shaft 80 and lies normally in position to receive thereupon one end of the arm 88, the shaft 61 being thus held against operation and with one of the mutilated lpoints of the gear 64 at the tion into engagement with the pinion 66,

when the gear 64 will be moved throughout one-half rotation, and the arms 62and 63 will be moved into engagement with the beet which has caused the movement of the plate 8l and which is thus above the knife 59, to move the beet downwardly7 against the knife and thus cut the top from the beet. The tops fall into a discharge chute 90 while the beets are deposited upon a shaker 91 which. transfers them to a dump 92 of suitable structure.

What is claimed is 1. In a beet topping mechanism, the combination with a knife, of means for delivering a beet to the knife, arms arranged for movement t0 press a beet thus delivered against the knife, la power shaft, means for connecting the Varms with the power shaft for movement of the arms, land means operable by a beet engaging the knife for move' ment of the connecting means into operative position.

2. In a beet topping mechanism, the cornbination with a knife, of a platelocated in position for engagement by a beet engaged with the knife, means for moving a beet into engagement with the knife and plate, a slidable shaft connected with the plate for movement therewith, a laterally extendingl nger carried by the shaft, a rack bar connected with the plate for movement there-"- with, a pinion meshed with the rack bar for rotation thereby, a` revoluble shaft, a power shaft, mutilated gear `connections be-l tween the power shaft and the revoluble shaft, an arm connected with the mutilated gear andresting normally upon thelateral'y extending finger of the rst named shafta lateral arm carried by the pinion and extending above the rstnamed arm for engagement of and. movement of the first named arm when the pinion is moved, an arm carried by the revoluble shaft and arranged for engagement of a beet against the knife when the-revoluble shaft is rotated.

3. In a beet topping mechanism, the combination with a knife, of arms arranged for movement transversely of the knife, means for moving the arms, said arm moving means lying normally out of operative position, means for holding thearm moving means at times against movement into operative position, `means operable by a beet for bringing said holding means out of operative position, and means connected with said beet operable' means for bringing the arm moving means into operative position.

4. In a beet topping mechanism, the combination with a knife, of means for delivering a beet to the knife, means for pressing a beet against the knife, said pressing means lying normally out of operative position, and means operable 4by a beetdelivered to the knife for bringing the beet engaging means into operation.

5. A beet topping mechanism comprisin a knife, a revoluble shaft, an arm mounte upon the shaft for movement to press a beet against the knife when the shaft is revolved, a stop arm carried by the shaft, a

sliding shaft, a stop `linger carried by the sliding shaft and arranged to lie normally in position for engagement of the stop arm thereagainst to hold the revoluble shaft` against motion, a mutilated gear carried by` the revoluble shaft, a rotatable" pinion located for engagement 'with the mutilated, v

gear, a member arranged for engagement' by a beet upon the knife to shift the sliding shaft, said stop finger being arranged for movement out of engagement witli' the stop arm when the shaft is slid, and means for enga ement of the stop arm to rotate the' muti ated gear into engagement with thel pinion 'when the sliding shaft is moved.

In testimony whereof ax my signar ture, in presence of two witnesses.

`HENRY F. BARBER.

Witnesses:

R. B. EATON, R. R. CLAur. 

